Nile phosphate spill major threat: NSF official

Tina Yerkes, General Manager of Drinking Water Filtration Products at the National Science Foundation (NSF)(Photo Handout to DNE)

The threat level posed by the recent phosphate spill in the River Nile is high, according to Tina Yerkes, General Manager of Drinking Water Filtration Products at the National Science Foundation (NSF).

During the global direct selling company QNET’s annual conference that took place from 14 to 18 May in Malaysia, Egyptian journalists met Yerkes, who spoke about water pollutants and how to filter them.

Yerkes noted that the phosphate sediments need to be filtered before reaching the consumers’ homes, noting that the home filtration systems can remove the by-products of these contaminants. However, regular consumer cannot detect them, Yerkes added.

She added that devices accredited by the NSF, such as HomePure, can remove such contaminants and can also remove their by-products, which can cause many diseases.

A boat loaded with 500 tonnes of phosphate stones sank in Qena in late April. Water samples from where the boat sank were found to have 0.5% mg of phosphorus at the time, not exceeding the 2% mg per litre limit, making the water safe to drink, according to Minister of Health AdelAl-Adawi.

The NSF is a global independent organisation that sets standards, tests and certifies products for water, food, health, sciences and consumer goods industries to minimise adverse health effects and protect the environment.

NFS certifies a vast array of products, such as filtration devices, pipes, plumbing, pharmaceuticals, and automotives.